Refrigerating apparatus for soda fountains



Patented Apr. 28, 1925.

HERBERT C. KELLOGG, O'F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS FOR SODA FOUNTAINS.

Application led May 17,

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HERBERT C. KELLOGG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of W'ayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Refrigerating Apparatus for Soda Fountains, of which the following is a specification.-

The invention relates to improvements in refrigerating apparatus primarily intended for use with soda fountains and the like.

It is an object ofthe invention to reduce the temperature in compartments adjoining the brine tank without conducting brine through said compartments and without utilizing a Siphon or similar device for causing circulation of the cooling fluid through ,the various compartments.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means for regulating arbitrarily the extent of the influence exerted by the brine tank and its low temperature upon adjacent compartments. l

Another object of the invention is to transfer heat by. conduction from one' compartment to another without the use of any circulating fluid or other medium. j

' lith these and other objects in view an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section through an assembly of compartments forming a portion of a soda fountain or the like; Fig. 2 is a detail horizontal section of portions of this assembly on a larger scale, and Fig. 3 is a section on line 3--3 of Fig. 2 through `the heat transferring and regula: ting'means.

In soda fountains and similar establishments a plurality of compartments are usually arranged within a common wall W'one of the compartments ordinarily serving for receiving several containers of ice-cream while the remaining compartments may ,serve for cooling other foodstuff dispensed by these fountalns.

It has been customary to maintain within the compartment l which h'olds'the containers 2 for ice-cream and the likel a brine or other solution, the temperature of which is maintained low owing to the arrangement of a vaporizer 3 which is associated with the refrigerating machine or the like, not shown in the drawing, and which causes the com- 1924. Serial No. 713,942.

partment 1 to remain at a temperature below the freezing temperature of water without, however, causing the brine to freeze.

In the known soda fountains this compartment contains a thermo-Siphon for circulating the brineY from the compartment through an intermediary receptacleinto one of the adjacent compartments which is to be cooled. This arrangement is expensive as it calls for the use of special piping Vand liquidtight connections through the walls between the compartments. It is also necessary to interpose valves or other regulating, means in the piping and these valves as well as pipe unions and similar fittings must be maintained in liquid-tight condition regardless of the varying temperatures which the entire arrangement may assume. These disadvantages are particularly obnoxious at those occasions at which it becomes necessary to remove one or more of these compartments or to repair the vaporizer or the brine tank, or parts of the pipes which communicate between the dierent compartments.

Another disadvantage of the known sy'stem of circulating the brine by means of a Siphon from the brine tank to other compartments may be seen in the fact that these pipes, their valves and other fittings occupy considerable space in the various compartments-space which is valuable as it might be occupied by foodstuff. The piping and valves also interfere'with the'handling of food, the insertion and the removal of material into and from these compartments.

The walls W surrounding the entire assembly of compartments may be made of heat insulating material, as cork, etc., provided with a suitable liner L and the partiion walls (one only being shown) .between the main brine compartment 1 and the other compartments maybe made of cork o'r some other suitable heat insulating material, as indicated at 5, the compartments also containing a liner L. In this way the loss of heat by transfer of heat from the compartments not containing the brine to the brine compartment is avoided to a high degree.

This heat insulation between the compartment 1 and the adjacent compartment 6 is also maintained in the present instance. In

order to provide for the possibility of plac- ,A

ing, however, the compartment 6, which may contain coils C for soda water or the like to be cooled through the production of the low knobs 15 temperature in the compartment 1, into heat conductive connection with the latter compartment, an angle bracket 7 of metal is secured advisably to the liner L ofthe front or side wall of the brine compartment and this bracket has-a flange 8 provided with a relatively large number of tapped openings 9 which may be in alinement with each other. The metal liner L of the adjacent compartment 6 is provided on that front surface portion which is in opposition to the bracket 7 with a plurality of flexible metal plates l0 which may be soldered or fastened in some other way to the front wall, the metal plates 10, however, projecting laterally from the wall of the compartment 6 so as to be in opposition to the free flange 8 of the angle 7. 'lhe metal plates 10y are provided at their free ends with openings 11 through which pins 12 project having their inner ends threaded for proper engagement with the tapped openings 9 of the flange 8 on the bracket 7. Collars 13 secured to the pins 12 on opposite surfaces of the metal plates 10 prevent a longitudinal displacement of said pins l2 relatively to the plates. The pins project beyond the walls of the entire tanks and are preferably made partly of insulating material 14 and are provided at their projecting ends with handles or to facilitate their manipulation.

It is obvious, therefore, that upon manipulation of these individual pins, the plates l() pertaining to these pins may be selectively brought into firm engagement with the brackets 7 in order to carry heat from the adjacent compartment to the brine tank 1. Depending upon the number of plates which are forced into contact with the bracket 7 on the brine tank 1, the exchange of heat between the two tanks will be increased or decreased, so that upon separation of all of the plates from the bracket secured to the brine tank the latter will be completely heat insulated with respect to the adjacent compartment while upon engagement of all of the plates with the flange of the bracket a complete metallic connection and therefore maximum conduction of heat is rendered possible between the two compartments.

The conduction of heat between the compartments 6 and 1 by means of these plates would result in the formation of ice, as shown at l, providing said compartment contains water, as indicated at A in the compartment G adjacent the brine tank, while the temperature in the adjacent compartment N would be lowered to 32 or lower, resulting in the formation of frost on the walls of the next compartment as indicated at F.

ll claim: 4

1. ln combination with a Vtank having' cooling means, a compartment heat insulated from the tank, and metallic heat conductive means between the compartment and the tank adapted to selectively establish heatA exchange between the tank and the compartment.

2. In combination with a tank, a compartment, a heat insulating wall between said compartment and tank, and metallic elements inserted between said tank and said compartment and adapted to be brought ,selectively into Contact with each other.

` 3. In combination with a tank, a compartment, a heat insulating Wall between said compartment and tank, a metallic element fixedly connected with said tank, a pluralityv of metallic elements fixedly connected with said compartment, and means between said tank and compartment for selectively moving the metallic elements of the compartment into contact with the metallic element of the tank.

4. ln combination with a tank containing a cooling means and having a metallic liner, a compartment having a metallic liner, an insulating wall between said compartment and said tank, and heat conductive metallic elements secured to the liners respectively and adapted to he brought selectively into engagement with each other.

5. ln combination with a tank containing cooling means, a compartment adjacent thereto, a heat insulating wall between said tank and compartment, said heat insulating wall being provided with a cavity at a distance from the front and rear wall of the tank, heat conductive elements located within said cavity and secured to said tank and said compartment respectively, and means accessible from the exterior of the tank for selectively bringing said heat conductive elements into engagement with each other.

6. ln combination with a tank containing a cooling means, a compartment, a heat insulating wall between said tank and said compartment, and means disposed within the heat insulating wall and operable from the outside of the tank and compartment for selectively varying the quantity of heat transferred between said compartment and said tank.

7. ln combination with a tank having cooling means, a compartment, a heat insulating wall between said compartment and the tank, the compartment ordinarily having a temperature higher than the tank, and means for transferring heat from the compartment to the tank, said means including metallic heat conductors.

8. In combination with a tank, a compartment, a heat insulating wall between said tank and compartment, a metallic bracket secured to the tank', a plurality of metalli I strips secured to the compartment, and means accessible from the outside of the tank and compartment for selectively establishing contact between a predetermined said metallic strips and number of said metallic strips and said bracket.`

9. In combination with a tank, ment, a heat insulated wall between said tank and compartment, a bracket secured to one of said elements located in said heat insulated wall, a plurality of metallic strips secured to the other of said elements and located in said heat insulating Wall, screws extending from said bracket through the metallic strips, and means in engagement with 'secured on said screws for bringing upon manipulation of said screws the strips selectively into `a predetermined relationto said bracket.

10. In combination with a tank, a compartment, a heat insulated wall between said tank and compartment having a cavity, a bracket secured to said tank lying within said cavity, a plurality of yielding metallic strips secured to said compartment and also located within the cavitv, metallic stems in threaded engagement with said bracket and ixedly connected with said strips, and means extending to the outside of said tank and compartment for manipulating said threaded stems.

11. In combination with a tank, a compartment, a heat insulated wall between said a comparttank and compartment, metallic heat conduction elements secured'to said tank and said compartment respectively and located within the heat insulating Wall, and heat insulated elements operatively connected with said heat conductive elements and extending to the outside of said wall for manipulating the heat conductive elements between said tank and said compartment.

12. In combination with a tank, a compartment, a heat insulated wall between said tank and compartment and having a cavity, an angle bracket secured. to the tank within said cavity, a plurality of angular yielding metallic strips secured to said compartment within the cavity,- means extending through the heat insulated wall for bringing said metallic strips into heat conductive relation with respect to said bracket, and a heat insulated extension forming part of said last named meansprojecting to the outside oi' said tank and compartment.

In testimony whereof I ai'iX my signature in the presence of two witnesses at T33-744 Majestic Building, Detroit, Michigan.

HERBERT C. KELLOGG.

' Witnesses:

MAURICE Gr. VINCE, XVM. A. RANKIN. 

